No Holding Back
by Elivra26
Summary: It's the final year of Military Training for EMA, and over the course of just three days, everything changes... Watch out for some pointless angst, a non-existent plot, universal swearing, and a smidge of almost-smut. Genderbend fic request by Shiranai Atsune. AU if you squint. ALL the tropes I have NEVER used! Let me know what you think!
1. Chapter 1

**Already dishing out a new one! So this was a request from Shiranai Atsune here on ffdotnet, who gave me a lot of genderbend options! Of course I chose my favourite ship, Eremika and _of course_ I had to throw in some Aruani. So here it is, my most fanfic-y SnK fanfic. Tiny amount of borderline smut awaits in the last chapter! Other than this, the summary should explain it all, lol.**

 **Thanks a lot Shiranai Atsune for the request, I had a lot of fun writing this!**

 **Hope you guys have as much fun reading it!**

* * *

 _ **Armin**_

"Eren."

"..."

"Eren."

"..."

" _Eren._ "

" _What_?"

Armin took a deep breath. "This is just my opinion, okay, but… this is really stupid."

Eren huffed. "Good thing I didn't ask for your fucking opinion, then."

Armin sighed and massaged her forehead. She could feel her one of her usual stress headaches coming on. It figured. Armin had never stopped getting stress headaches since she had met Eren in kindergarten.

"Eren, seriously. Let's just go."

"Shh!"

Armin glared at her. "Did you just _shush_ me-" Eren didn't wait for her to finish and just clamped her hand fiercely on her mouth. Armin let loose a noise of protest and Eren shushed her again with more force.

"Armin," she whispered furiously, "I love you and all, but I swear to every god that ever existed that I _will_ knock you unconscious if you get us caught right now."

Eren whipped back to peek around the corner, where they could see their best friend talk to a tall, copper-haired girl. Neither of them seemed at ease, and Armin could guess why. Curiosity trumped discomfort and without being particularly aware of it, Armin leaned forward as well, her chin on Eren's head, straining to hear the conversation.

"...swimming."

"Oh yeah, of course you… athlete and all that." Jean performed a cringe-worthy shooting motion with her hands and clicked her tongue loudly. Armin could see her mouth the word "Gotcha."

 _Oh dear god_. Armin scrunched up her nose with pity. Below her, Eren snorted with disdain. "Yeah, real smooth, shithead."

"Eren," Armin nudged her gently. "Cut her some slack, she's clearly nervous."

Eren tilted her head upwards, her thick eyebrows meeting together in a dark frown. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're sympathising with the enemy, Armin."

Armin sighed again. "I actually am."

" _What_!" Eren hissed. "You traitor!"

"Oh my god, Eren, we're not in middle school anymore."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with your immaturity."

"The hell-"

"Hey."

Both Eren and Armin jumped a foot high at the voice that was suddenly too close to them.

Eren recovered first. "Heyyy, Mick. How's it going, man?"

Mick's dark grey eyes narrowed. "What were you doing?"

"Just chilling," Eren said airily. "You know how it is."

There was a minute pause. "You were spying on me." Mick said flatly.

"Whaaat. Spying? Us? Really?"

Armin wanted to smack Eren upside the head. She was a terrible liar.

"So what did Jean say?" Armin asked eagerly, choosing not to speak of their stalking at all.

Mick raised an eyebrow. "Nothing important," he said quietly, his eyes boring into Armin's own bright blue ones. But Armin was used to the glare and held her own. Eren, unfortunately , was another matter altogether.

Mick stared for one long, accusing moment at Eren and she gave in. "Okay, _fine_ , we just wanted to know what the bitch was saying."

Mick's frown deepened. "Eren, language."

Very predictably, Eren exploded. "Oh, right, blame me for looking out for you and telling it as it is! Take the bitch's side, see if I care."

Before another word was uttered, Eren stormed away, characteristically leaving behind a strong smell of wet earth and a general sense of helplessness in the air. Armin exchanged glances with Mick.

"She is so opinionated," Mick sighed as they made their way back to the main academic building.

Armin chose not to say anything. She had seen that Eren's ears had turned a bright red and that fact interested her enormously.

* * *

"Tell me again why you call her that."

"Hmm?" Half-distracted by the book in her hand, Armin didn't realise he had spoken for a solid second.

"Why do you call her that? 'Eren'?"

"Everyone calls her that." Armin shrugged.

Anton crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "I sense a story here, Arlert. Spill it."

Armin tried hard to hide the smile that was threatening to break on her face. Anton Leonhardt was notably an ice-cold statue of a boy, and yet he was always more animated and more curious, more talkative and forthright in Armin's company. She tried not to read too much into that, but often failed.

"Well, you know her given name is Ariadne, right? As a toddler, she could barely pronounce her own name." Armin smiled fondly. "'Eren' was the simplest pronunciation she managed to get and it stuck. Even the teachers back home called her that."

She set down her book and leaned back against the tree, her heart thudding faster when her shoulder brushed Anton's and he didn't move away. "I remember we played a prank once, when we managed to convince the new Matron that 'Ariadne' was Eren's twin sister. It was hilarious until they decided to to file a missing person's report on Ariadne."

Anton's eyes glimmered with rare humour. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Armin chuckled. "Boy, were we in trouble."

"Huh." Anton dug in his pockets and fished out a cigarette and a tattered matchbook. "I just find it weird. You both have masculine names."

Armin looked at her shoes, feeling self-conscious. "I started to identify as female only five years ago."

"I see." Anton offered her the lit cigarette. "Wanna share?"

Armin raised an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to cut down." Anton sighed.

"And dooming me to lung cancer is the way to do it?"

"Do you want it or not?"

"You know I do." Armin smiled and took the cigarette. She found herself glancing around reflexively as she took her first drag.

"He isn't around." Anton rolled his eyes. "What's his deal, anyway?"

"Mikio is… complicated." Armin said carefully.

"You don't say," Anton drawled, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Armin hesitated, wondering if she should go ahead and say what she was thinking. Anton noticed, of course. "What?"

"Why… why don't you like him?"

Anton shrugged and passed the cigarette back to her. "He creeps me out."

"You're just as much of a loner as him."

"Ouch," Anton deadpanned. "You're not one to mince your words, are you."

It wasn't a question. "You wouldn't have it any other way," Armin shrugged.

"No. I wouldn't." Their fingers touched as she passed the smoke back to him and they held each other's gaze for a long, heavy moment.

They broke the moment simultaneously, turning away and refusing to look at the other. "So why does Mikio creep you out?" Armin said casually, too casually perhaps, as Anton relit the cigarette.

He shrugged again. "He just… looms about everywhere. And the way he stalks Eren is just -weird."

"If we're talking about looming, we should talk about Bertholdt," Armin grinned.

Anton's expression darkened. "I'm regretting telling you about him."

"No you're not," she said easily. "How else would I buffer your interactions with him?"

"He's a good guy," Anton said, a shade of concern slipping into his voice. "He's just not… not my type."

"Ooh, a type," Armin teased, trying to ignore her faster heartbeat again. "So what is Anton Leonhardt's type?"

Anton didn't hesitate for a moment. "Blond."

Her stomach felt incredibly hollow and her heart was beating even faster. Armin wondered if she was too young to get a heart attack because that seemed to be the way she was headed currently.

"Oh? Like Reiner?" Armin marvelled at how calm she sounded.

"Too tall." Anton himself was surprisingly short so that made sense. Armin suddenly found herself wondering why the conversation had to make sense at all in the first place.

"Like Krista, then."

"Sure. Except, you know, she's…"

"Gay," Armin nodded.

"And Ymir will fucking murder me if I so much as look at her."

Armin laughed, even though that probably wasn't an exaggeration. Ymir was fucking scary.

"So yeah, my choices are pretty limited."

"You sound like you already have someone in mind."

"I do."

At that point, she couldn't help it; she risked a glance at Anton, then froze at the look in his eyes.

"Oh." She whispered, feeling incredibly nervous.

Despite the fact that it was the middle of the day, that the training grounds were within hearing distance and the sounds of forest critters and bugs were trilling all around them, Armin felt a strange sort of silence descend upon them, as though they were sitting in their own private little bubble.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Anton reached out and tucked a lock of her blond hair behind one ear.

And Armin panicked. "So Bertholdt doesn't have a chance, huh," she blurted.

Anton paused, his hand hovering near her ear, a small smirk on his face. "Not the slightest."

Her heart seemed intent on tearing through her ribs and her chest and then jumping out. _We were talking about Eren_ , she thought giddily. _How did we get here_?

Still her nervous chatter persisted. "Poor guy, I mean you were right, he _is_ a good guy and he's not bad-looking either and-"

"Armin."

Her babbling stopped abruptly. "Yes?"

"Shut up."

Armin took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As she felt his rough hand gently touch her cheek, she let out the breath even more slowly, joy burning her insides and curving her lips for her.

"Okay," she whispered.

* * *

Their schedule for the rest of the afternoon consisted only of hand-to-hand combat. Unsurprisingly , Armin was knocked out in the first half hour. She patched herself up to the best of her abilities and settled down on the hard ground to watch the others.

"Sooo," Sasha drawled in her ear so suddenly she jumped, "how're you doing, Armin?"

Her tone made her wary. "I'm...fine."

"Just 'fine'?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, nothing. Just asking." Sasha's eyes seemed to glint knowingly and Armin felt irrationally nervous. What the hell was she implying?

Sasha said nothing more but kept throwing curious glances at her that made her more antsy. Armin wished her friends would finish the training soon so they could leave already.

Within five minutes of that last thought, she saw Anton flip Eren onto her back with effortless grace. He held her down for three long seconds, then let her go. Eren got to her feet, scowling, and made her way towards them. Armin's eyes, however, were fixed on Anton. He noticed and gave her a small, sharp nod, before turning away to rejoin his team.

"Oh my _god_ it's true!" A loud voice just behind her made her jump again. She turned around to see Connie tugging Sasha's arm violently, his eyes wide with more disbelief than joy. "Did you see that -did you… He _nodded_ at her! Holy shit, you weren't kidding!"

Sasha grinned. "I don't lie about these things, Conman."

"What the fuck are you two on about now?" Eren grumbled, grabbing a skein of water irritably.

"Why don't you ask your best friend?" Connie and Sasha both sent pointed glances at her and Armin felt like her stomach had dropped from a great height. _They knew._ She pretended to watch Mick grappling with Marcine with more interest than necessary.

Eren guzzled the water and flung the skein away. "If you're going to keep speaking in riddles, I have better things to do with my time. Tell me what it is already." _Uh-oh_. She was in a bad mood.

"Sasha saw Armin and Anton sucking face in the woods at lunch!" Connie blurted out, louder than before.

In the ensuing silence, Armin felt like crawling right into the ground and curling up where no one could see her. She wasn't sure why exactly she was reacting that way. It wasn't like she was _ashamed_ of what had happened. All she knew was that she didn't want to be a stupid source of stupid, annoying teenage gossip in the camp, especially not with Anton. But of course, there was also the issue with Eren…

Eren crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and snapped, "So what?"

Both Connie and Sasha paused mid-cackle, their jaws agape. "Huh?"

"I said, so what. What, it's weird if Armin makes out with anyone or something?" Eren's eyes narrowed dangerously, something that always happened when Armin's gender became the topic of discussion.

Both Connie and Sasha took a literal step back, their eyes wide.

"Dude, no! Of course not!"

"We love Armin and want her to be happy!"

They turned to her anxiously. "Armin," Sasha said quickly, "we didn't mean-"

Suddenly Armin felt calmer. She knew these two, had been their comrade for almost three years. She knew they meant well.

"I know, you guys, just chill."

"Armin, seriously man," Connie said, then blanched. "I mean, bro - _shit_! I mean… babe?"

And that was it. A split second of silence followed Connie's flustering, followed by Armin and then Eren's laughter.

"Oh my god, Connie," Armin breathed through her laughter, "please, _never_ call me babe. Please."

Connie looked relieved. "Deal."

They lingered for a couple minutes more to make sure Armin was not hurt or offended by their teasing. They were good people, Armin mused as she watched Connie chase after Sasha in their impromptu race.

"You're welcome," Eren muttered and sat down next to her.

Armin grinned. "That was unnecessary, Eren."

"They were being annoying."

"Yes, but you can't always pull my gender card."

"You bet your ass I can, and I will in the future, as many times as you need."

"My hero," Armin laughed.

"Was it true though?"

It was like a balloon had popped within her, and all her happiness just fizzled away. "What?"

"About you and Anton?" Eren had her eyes fixed on the combat area, where Armin absently noticed Mick grappling with Reiner, despite being from the same team. Her glance flickered over to Anton almost as if it had been pulled to him: he was watching Mick and Reiner too intently to look at her.

"Yeah," she admitted finally.

"Oh," was all Eren would say.

Armin was floundering for words again. "You -are you okay with that?"

Eren finally turned to her, her face expressionless. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Armin felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. "You know, it's Anton…"

"Wait, you're worried about _me_?" Eren's pokerface broke and her eyes shone with incredulity. "You're kidding."

"But you guys have… history…" Armin said weakly.

"We made out, like, once," Eren dismissed it impatiently. "Doesn't count."

"So why do you look pissed?"

"I'm not pissed, you fool. I'm worried. About you. Anton has a reputation."

"I'm perfectly aware."

"I know you are. You're not stupid… usually."

"You think I'm being stupid now?"

"I don't know, Armin. You're the thinking one, you tell me." Eren looked at her earnestly. "Do _you_ think you're being stupid?"

Armin paused. Eren's calm, logical side was so rare that she couldn't help but take her question seriously, couldn't help but give it all due consideration before answering her.

"Anton and I have been friends from almost the very beginning," she said slowly. "I've known him for years now. I have no illusions about him."

"So you're serious about him?"

Armin squirmed. These were things she hadn't even discussed with Anton himself. "I don't know, Eren. We'll figure it out as it goes. But this _is_ what I want. And I _am_ happy."

"Okay," Eren sighed, then frowned. "If he breaks your heart, though, I'll break his ass."

Armin snorted. "Yes, because you're already _so_ good at breaking his ass."

"Oi! I'm excellent at hand-to-hand!"

"Meh. Just in case, Eren," Armin said loftily, "I'll leave that to Mick."

Eren's bright, sparkling face dimmed immediately. "Yeah," she muttered. "Makes sense."

 _Shit_.

"It was a joke, Eren."

"Yeah, yeah."

They watched as Mick ducked under a powerful jab gracefully, almost as if he was dancing. With the same effortless grace and almost blinding speed, he tackled Reiner and threw the bulky blond boy a good ten feet away. Several gasps and murmurs broke out amongst the students.

"Mikio Ackerman, full points!" Came Shadis' bark.

Eren's frown darkened and Armin could only watch wordlessly.

* * *

"Well, well, well, look who it is," came a familiar playful drawl.

Armin didn't even look up from her book. "What do you want, Jean?"

"Just a confirmation of some sort." Jean sat down opposite her and slammed her tray down with unnecessary force. Internally, Armin cringed. _Not Jean, too_.

"What are you talking about?"

"I hear you're the Lion's new mouse to play with," Jean smirked.

That made Armin look up. "What the hell does that even mean?"

Jean waved her hand airily. "You know, the story. The Lion and the Mouse." When Armin continued to stare at her blankly, she sighed. "Never mind. Serves me right for trying to bring some culture into the setting, but whatever."

"Wow, fuck you too." Armin rolled her eyes and stole back the fries Jean had taken from her plate. Jean ignored her and leaned forward. "Anyway, is it true? You and Leonhardt?'

Armin chose to act naïve. "What about Anton and I?"

"Don't fuck with me, dude." Jean's eyes narrowed and it was a wonder how much like Eren she looked at that moment. "Are you two boning or what?"

Armin cringed at the choice of words. "Yup, definitely upping the culture in this conversation, Jean."

"You're evading my question."

"No I'm not. If you want answers, why don't you ask Anton?"

Jean snorted, she actually looked amused. "You're kidding me, right? I mean, sure, the guy saved my life once or twice but goddammit, Armin, I value my pretty face too much, okay?"

Armin shrugged and turned back to her book. "Well, in that case, I can't help you."

"Nah, no no no no." Jean said, slamming her palms on the table and leaning forward. "Why won't you give me a simple yes or no?"

"I told you," Armin said tiredly. "Ask Anton."

"You would've just said no if it wasn't true." Jean surmised shrewdly. "So you _are_ boning him. Unless -unless you _want_ people to think you're boning him. But why would you want people to think you're boning Anton Leonhardt? Because you're boning someone else? But who could you be boning that would make you want people to think you're boning _Anton_? Who _are_ you boning, Armin?"

"Can you stop saying that word Jean?" Armin snapped irritably.

"Why?" Jean asked her smugly. "' _Boning_ '? What's so wrong about that word? Boning, boning, _boner_. Boning, boner, boning, boning, boning-"

"Hello, Jean."

Jean's chin slipped off her palm and her face nearly fell into her plate. "H -hey, Mikio!" She scratched her head. "Um. Ssup?"

Armin had to choke back laughter. Mick had perfect timing, as usual. He simply nodded politely and sat next to Armin.

"You -er, you were pretty amazing at sparring today. Like, that was pretty kickass."

Mick began to tear his loaf of bread into pieces. "Thanks."

An awkward moment passed in silence. Then Jean stood up abruptly. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Bon appetit, mes amis!" She cringed at the random French before Armin or Mick could, and scurried away from the table.

"Hey," Mick said, finally relaxing as Armin laughed again. "What are you reading?"

"Twelfth Night," Armin admitted. "Can't get enough of the bard."

Mick sipped his juice. "Have I told you before you're wasted in the military?"

"Mm, I think so," Armin muttered, tipping some fries into his plate. "Only, like, every other day for more than two years."

Mikio sighed. "You're an idiot."

"Gee, thanks, Mick."

"Stop giving me your food."

"Stop eating so little."

They glared at each other, then Mikio's look softened. "You look tense. What did Jean say?"

"Nothing," Armin lied.

"Tell me."

"It was _nothing_."

"Armin."

Armin looked away, and, of course, met Anton's cold glance from across the room. She could see how he had earned his nickname of 'Jack Frost' but Armin only felt warmth in her belly when their gaze met.

"What did he do?"

"Huh?" Armin was jarred back to reality painfully. Mikio looked grim. "What?"

"What did Leonhardt do to you?"

"He didn't do anything to me!" That was a lie, too, and she really did not want to lie about this to Mick. It seemed odd, somehow, that Eren knew what was happening with her and Anton, but Mikio didn't.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"You're doing it again, Mick."

"What?"

"Interrogating."

Mick huffed and turned back to his plate. "You're not telling me anything yourself."

"Fine." Armin slammed her book down on the table and lowered her voice. "This afternoon, when we were hanging out in woods after lunch, Anton and I...kissed."

Mikio's expression became dangerously stony. "Did he ask for your permission?" He asked, his voice tight.

Armin sighed. She loved that her friends were so protective of her, but really, she could handle herself. "I wanted it. I kissed him back."

She could see a number of thoughts flicker through Mikio's grey eyes. _Betrayal_ \- how could you _want_ him - he's going to hurt you, _bad._

"You're overreacting," Armin huffed.

"I didn't say anything."

"You're thinking it."

Mikio didn't deny it. He simply looked at her, his eyes still glimmering with concern.

"Mikio, stop it," Armin sighed. "It was like, one kiss." She paused, caught another flash of icy blue eyes in her direction, and smirked. "Okay, fine. It was more than one kiss. But that's it. And I'm fine, and he's fine, and there's nothing to worry about."

"If he hurts you-"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll break his ass. Eren covered the speech."

The corners of Mick's mouth twitched. "I'm sure she did."

"Where is she, anyway?"

Mick's good humour seemed to seep away. "Training," he said shortly.

"What, _now_?"

"She wouldn't come when I called her." Mikio shrugged, clearly more hurt than he let on.

Armin floundered for something to say. "You know how she gets. She wants to be the best."

"Yes."

Neither of them had anything further to say and ate their dinner in silence for the most part.

* * *

"Over here." His whisper was so quiet Armin almost didn't hear it. She followed the sound and found herself behind the stables. Leaning against the wooden wall, the orange tip of his cigarette glowing in the dark, was-

"Anton," Armin whispered.

"Hi." She could see the small smile on his face in the dim moonlight and she felt her heart leap -Anton almost never smiled.

"Hi," she whispered back breathlessly. She took his proffered hand and stood next to him, leaning against the wooden wall, too. She had a sudden silly thought about how glad she was Anton wasn't too tall. Even their _heights_ were compatible. Then she scolded herself for thinking like a moonstruck silly teenager.

 _You know better, Armin._

"You know, there's so much hay here, that cigarette is probably a fire hazard."

"Probably," Anton agreed, still holding her hand. Then he smirked and offered the cigarette to her.

With a smile and roll of her eyes, she took it.

They didn't speak as they shared the cigarette, but Anton's thumb kept tracing slow patterns on her hand. When they stubbed it out carefully on the ground, they were silent for a moment.

"How did you get that note in my pocket, anyway? You were nowhere near me."

"I passed by your table when I left the mess hall."

"But you didn't even slow down!"

Anton simply shrugged.

"What _are_ you?" She whispered, incredulously.

He turned to her then. "An idiot." He said slowly. "An idiot is what I am."

Before she knew it, they were at it again, noses brushing, lips pressing, arms roving. She never wanted it to end, but when he began peppering kisses down her jawline and further down her neck, she whispered, "Stop."

He did, immediately, and his ice-blue eyes held hers for a long moment.

"Okay," he murmured, and she felt herself smiling, "Thanks."

"What the hell for?" They had broken apart but not completely; her arm still twined around his neck and his arm still grasped her waist firmly.

"I don't know," she said frankly. "Just… for being yourself, I guess."

He stared at her. "I'm an idiot."

She ruffled his hair gently and he closed his eyes. "Why? For choosing me?"

"No," he said quietly. "For thinking that there ever had been a choice."

She felt her breath catch. "Why me?" She found herself asking.

Anton opened his eyes, then he said, hesitantly, "Because you're not like other girls."

She couldn't help it, a sardonic giggle escaped her. "Seriously? _That's_ your line? I already knew that, genius. My name is _Armin_."

"You don't understand." His eyes seemed to be boring into hers again. "You're not like other girls."

There was a small pause.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Anton leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "That remains to be seen."

"A good thing." Armin muttered resolutely. "I'll make sure of it."

" _You_ don't have to do anything," he said. "This is on me." And before she knew it, they were kissing again.

It was only later, when she was back in her bed, that Armin found herself wondering why he looked so sad when he said that.

* * *

 **A/N: I swear, I SWEAR this was supposed to be an AU. Hence the talk of kindergarten/Shakespeare/Jack Frost, etc. Unfortunately, I am such a stickler for canon that this could easily be the SnK canonverse without all those references. Sorry guys, I tried, I really did.**

 **Let's just say that these people are in a war-torn country, still have had shitty lives (Eren saves Mikio from _something_ as a child, doesn't have to be murdering sex-traffickers). After a terrible catastrophe that I was too lazy to flesh out, EMA have been shunted around in orphanages, none of them getting adopted since they insist on sticking together. In this AU, they are also slightly older, since I have included middle school in their backstories, so let's say they're closer to 17-18 years old?**

 **Other minor plot points: RBA are still effing traitors, which is why Anton considers himself an "idiot". Armin is basically forbidden territory for him because they're supposed to be enemies, but what can I say, ma boi Leonhardt loves playing with fire.**

 **Also, my headcanon is that Eren and Anton got drunk before that "made out like, once" situation. Eren is as unromantic here as in canon (FOR NOW), so I don't think there was anyone else after that for her. Anton is, you guessed it, a glorious fuckboy.**

 **And non-binary Armin ftw, can I hear a 'hell yes'?!**

 **Also I realised very, very late that keeping Eren/Armin's names unchanged can be confusing. But I was almost done with the story guys, and I couldn't go back and change it all with new names. For the record, I loved the Ariadne/Eren bit and still can't believe I came up with it, so yaye for me? Yes?**

 **Sorry for the huge-ass notes, I can NOT shut up about these people, yeesh. Let me know what you think of the story so far! Next chapter coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, time for part two! The unnecessary drama begins here, so consider yourself warned!**

 **Thanks a lot for the faves/follows guys! Hope you like this one too.**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

 _ **Eren**_

She couldn't believe it. She could not _fucking_ believe it.

"Forty. Five. Minutes!" She shrieked, banging rapidly on the door. " _Forty-five_ fucking minutes, Kirschtein! Get the fuck out, already!"

She continued banging the door loudly, ignoring the groans and complaints behind her.

"Eren, you freak of nature, it's fricking Sunday," Armin groaned. "For the love of everything pure and holy in this messed-up world, can you please. Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

"Ooh, looks like someone had a long night," Sasha cooed.

Armin very beautifully flipped Sasha off with both her hands and flung her blankets over her head with just as much pizzazz. Had Eren not been preoccupied with the horse-faced bitch, she would have applauded.

"Kirschtein for fuck's sake, how much more muck have you got to clean out of your orifices?"

The door opened with a flourish and Jean sashayed out, her hair perfectly coiffed, willfully ignoring Eren's taunts.

"Fucking finally," she hissed and hit the showers. As she closed the door, she saw Jean flip her off too, but Eren was proud to note she was nowhere near as graceful as Armin had been.

A quick shower later, she threw on some clothes and rushed into the mess hall for breakfast. Unsurprisingly, she found Mikio already at a table, buttering his toast.

"Hey," she muttered in greeting and flung herself down on the seat opposite him.

"Good morning, Eren."

"Yeah, yeah, morning, Miks."

Mikio watched her wolf her toast down. "In a hurry?" His voice was as mild as usual.

"I have to meet Anton for practice," she mumbled through a mouthful of egg. "And that bitch Kirschtein made me late again."

"Slow down," Miks tutted. "Chew your food properly."

"You're not my fucking mom, Mikio."

"I'm aware." He sniffed and took a careful bite of his toast. Damned smooth-faced bastard, Eren thought resentfully. She stabbed at her eggs and forked down another large mouthful.

"Slow down, Eren," Mikio repeated again.

"'M late!" She snapped.

"No you're not. Last I saw, Anton was still asleep in his bed."

Eren stopped chewing and swallowed hard. "What?" She cried.

"Anton's still asleep."

"Motherfucker," she swore softly.

Mikio shrugged. "It's Sunday."

"Why are _you_ up, then?"

"Just came back from the gym," he said.

Eren stared at him. "So how long have you been up for?"

Mikio shrugged. "A little more than three hours, I think."

All her irritation melted away in an instant. It had been years since she had first met Mikio, but sometimes Eren would look into his eyes and still see the scared little boy who had been brutally orphaned on a rainy day. She leaned in and asked him quietly, "Are you sleeping okay?"

"Yes."

"Don't fucking lie to me, Miks."

Mikio looked away, clutching the red scarf she had given him so long ago. "I'm fine."

Eren frowned. Mikio was notoriously stubborn when it came to certain things. He would worry and nag incessantly when it was a question of Eren's wellbeing but couldn't care less about his own.

"Why do you do that?" She snapped.

Mikio looked genuinely surprised. "Do what?"

"Ignore yourself. Prioritise yourself lesser than other people." Mikio opened his mouth to answer but Eren cut in, "Don't deny it. You'd have nagged my ear off if our roles were exchanged."

Mikio sighed. "I told you, Eren. I'm fine."

"And I told _you_ , don't lie to me. Am I more important to you than your own health?"

Mikio simply stared at her, his answer shining bright in his eyes. Inexplicably, Eren felt her cheeks redden and she couldn't meet his stare anymore. She shot up from her seat, clutching her empty plate. "Fine. Do as you like. You're a fucking idiot, though."

"Yes," Mikio conceded.

She ran away before he could say anything more.

* * *

She slouched around a little aimlessly when she reached the training grounds, kicking away small pebbles on her path irritably. Her temper was still prickling from her conversation with Mikio.

When Eren had found Mikio on that tragic day all those years ago, the boy had been shellshocked, so quiet he only spoke a few words over the next couple of days. It had taken all of Eren's forceful cheer and Armin's inherent kindness to draw the boy out of his shell. He tailed Eren everywhere she went, leaving her to talk for him, make decisions for him and basically run his life for him.

When he had first started to fight the bullies along with Eren, she remembered feeling a hint of jealousy, but only just a hint. Mikio was cold and vicious when he fought, but immediately withdrew into his quiet, asocial self when the fights were over. He clearly still depended on her and she took it in her stride. But the hint of that jealousy grew over the years, especially as Mikio grew into himself as an individual.

The military did wonders for Mikio -top marks in every class, even the theory ones where he was only bested by Armin and some other nerds. Mikio's existing skills were sharpened and new ones blossomed into his personality. He could lead when the situation demanded it. He followed orders with a thoroughness that earned him approval from all quarters. He taught patiently, learned even more patiently and with unflinching resolve. He asserted himself when needed and earned -literally _earned_ the respect of almost everyone he interacted with.

Eren felt like she was suddenly left behind in the dust as Mikio grew more and more. He still hovered around her, he still deferred to her opinions. But where as a child she had felt the responsibility of taking care of him, now it felt more like a farce whenever Mikio gave her first preference. It was like a slap in the face, a cruel joke -he was clearly better than her at everything he did, and didn't _need_ her anymore. And yet he insisted on pretending that he did.

It drove Eren nuts.

Shutting her mind to these familiar thoughts, she ran a few laps as warm-up exercises before Anton finally showed at the grounds.

"Took your time," she grumbled when Anton nodded at her greeting.

He shrugged. "Had a late night."

She suddenly remembered Sasha's sing-song voice and said resolutely, "Listen, we need to talk."

Anton, who was wrapping his hands with tape, paused. "Is it to do with Armin?" He asked her, his tone as chilly as his dead eyes.

She nodded.

"Well, then, there's nothing to talk about."

"I don't agree," Eren began heatedly, but Anton quelled her with an upraised palm. "What I have with her is none of your business."

Her anger flared. "Like fuck it isn't. Armin is my oldest friend. She's _family_." To her annoyance, Anton snorted.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just… that's what Mikio says you are, to him."

Heat surged into her face again. What the fuck? Why did that bother her?

"So?"

"So, nothing." He sighed roughly and brought up his fists to chin level. "Enough talk. Let's begin."

"Look, if you hurt her-"

"I get it. Unending torture, immeasurable pain, danger to life and limb, et cetera. I'm not stupid, Jaeger. Let's start already."

Eren hesitated. Anton sounded flippant but his expression suggested otherwise. And he was right, he _wasn't_ stupid. Clearly, Anton had thought this through.

"Fine. Get ready to get your ass kicked, Leonhardt."

Anton glared at her. "What did I tell you about overconfidence?"

"That it's every girl's most important accessory?" Eren smirked. "Something like that, at any- fuck!"

Anton had swung a kick at her before she saw it coming. "Concentrate." He said simply.

Training began in full force.

* * *

When she limped into the mess hall for lunch, she was surprised to find it almost empty. Looking around for a familiar face, she finally spotted Ymir and Krista. Seeing no one else she knew, she trudged over to them, plate in hand.

"Hey. Can I join you?"

"Will you go away if I say no?" Ymir snapped.

"Um, yeah?"

Her hostile expression slipped away. "Oh. Okay. Well in that case, sure, take a seat."

Having long given up trying to make sense of Ymir, Eren sat down without comment.

"Hi, Eren!" Krista said cheerfully as she turned away from a random girl Eren had never spoken to. Krista was so cheerful all the time it was almost creepy. The fact that she looked eerily like Armin didn't help. In fact, the two of them looked so alike that Eren and Mikio, and sometimes an exasperated Armin, called her Armin's cis-twin in private. It was ridiculously apt, Eren thought for perhaps the thousandth time, as Krista flipped her blonde hair over one shoulder, looking more and more like Armin every passing second.

"Oi." Ymir snapped from behind her. "Eyes off my girl. You're staring and it's creepy."

"Jeez, calm down," Eren grumbled. "I don't swing that way."

"Could've fooled me."

" _Ymir_." Krista's voice was suddenly stern. "Lay off her."

"Yes, Milady," Ymir smirked. Her response seemed to have bothered Krista for some reason, who looked even more sullen than usual. _Wow_. Eren didn't think she had ever seen Krista so dark.

"Shut up." The little blonde girl said, with unexpected venom, and turned to Eren. "So," she said brightly, her expression changing so quickly it was jarring, "how was your day so far?"

Eren shrugged. "Meh. Okay, I guess. D'you have any idea why the place seems so empty today?"

Both Krista and Ymir stared at her as though she was babbling nonsense. Before either of them could say anything, they were interrupted by _another_ cheerful voice.

"Hey, guys!"

Normally Eren liked hanging out with Marcine, but she'd had enough of cheerfulness from Krista. And there was the added annoyance of Marcine's best friend…

"Where's your worse half?" Ymir asked her in greeting, clearly thinking along the same lines.

Marcine shot a glance at Eren and she almost looked… guilty? _Weird_.

"You know," she shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Out."

Wait, _out_?

"Hang on," Eren frowned. "What do you mean, out?"

"Eren," Krista said gently, "it's Free Day today. Everyone's probably gone out to visit the town."

 _What the actual fuck_. Eren felt like an absolute fool. She couldn't believe neither Mikio nor Armin had told her about this. Had they forgotten, too? It seemed highly unlikely.

The other three girls were looking at Eren with a strange expression on their faces, except Ymir, who also looked a little gleeful.

"Abandoned by your mates? My sympathies," she smirked.

"Fuck off," Eren snapped and stood up. She turned to Marcine. "You seen Mick or Armin around?"

Marcine looked even more uncomfortable. "Um, I know Mick went into town, too."

"Nah, I saw him at breakfast and he didn't say…" Her voice petered away. Things were suddenly falling into place in her mind and she did _not_ like what that meant. Marcine's almost apologetic look seemed to strengthen her suspicion.

No way. No _fucking_ way.

The girls were watching her as though she was an explosion waiting to happen and Eren struggled to not prove them right. Luckily, a distraction appeared in the form of a loud, "Well hello, ladies."

Thank the holy Walls, it was Reiner, and, by default, Bertholdt looming behind him.

"No plans of going into town?" Reiner asked, puffing out his chest automatically, as he did whenever Krista was around.

Ymir and Krista shook their heads, Marcine shrugged, and Eren admitted, "I forgot Free Day was today."

"Typical Jaeger," Reiner chortled and tried to ruffle her hair.

Eren swatted his hand away irritably. "How come you guys are here, too?"

"Kitchen duty," Bertholdt supplied morosely.

"But hey. The truck's heading out for a grocery run and we were going to hitch a ride. Wanna join?" Reiner was looking at Krista as he spoke and Ymir's scowl was deepening. Without needing to be told, Eren and Marcine intervened. "Yeah, I wanna go!" Eren grabbed Reiner's arm.

Reiner scowled at her. "Sis, I wasn't talking to you."

"Yes, you were," she said firmly. "Come on."

And with Marcine and Bertholdt's help, she managed to drag Reiner away from the impending slugfest that was waiting to happen. As they left the mess hall, she glanced back to see Ymir still clutching her girlfriend possessively. Krista seemed oblivious to the tension but Eren had a feeling she knew very well what was going on.

They managed to sufficiently distract Reiner until the truck was on its way to the nearest town. Then, and only then, did the implications of being left alone on a Free Day begin to hit Eren. By the time they reached the small riverside town's marketplace, Eren's mood had gone from bad to worse. Where _were_ her friends?

Almost immediately, Reiner and Bertholdt parted from them with a vague goodbye, and Marcine turned to Eren with more enthusiasm than necessary. "Hey! I hear they've got a new harpsichord in the music store. Wanna go see?"

Normally Eren would totally be game for that but she couldn't care less about music right now. She'd prefer checking it out with Mikio and Armin anyway. Where the heck were they?

"Sorry, no man. Some other time. Do you know where Mikio or Armin are?"

"...No."

That was clearly a lie.

"Fine." Eren snapped. "I'll look for them myself."

"Um, Eren… I think they'll come to us when they're ready."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Marcine looked more uncomfortable. "Just that… they probably need some space right now."

"Since when are _you_ an authority on what they want or don't want?"

Marcine gave up and resorted to pleading. "Eren, come on. Let's just go to the music store. Please." She looked extremely distressed now and Eren felt a pang of guilt. It wasn't Marcine's fault that her day was so shitty, after all.

"Alright," she agreed unwillingly. She'd probably run into them on the way there, anyway.

She wished later that she wasn't right.

When they reached the square where the music store was located, Marcine insisted on tossing a coin in the fountain. As she waited, Eren turned to look for the music store's entrance.

And promptly froze.

Two people stepped out from the store, deep in conversation. Mikio and Jean were almost the same height and so Jean barely had to look up when she leaned in and kissed Mikio on the cheek, the corners of their mouths almost touching. Or maybe they _did_ touch, Eren couldn't see clearly enough. Because, suddenly, her vision was bathed in red.

Rage made it impossible for her to even speak and she began to storm forward, but suddenly, someone grabbed onto the back of her jacket and yanked her back.

"What the- let me go, _fuck_!"

"Calm down, Jaeger," Anton muttered in her ear and began to drag her away.

" _No_ -"

"Eren, please." Armin's voice came from her other side and Eren turned to her furiously, "Armin, what the fuck-"

"Come on. Leave them be."

" _Leave them be_?" Eren's voice was so high-pitched Armin actually flinched. "Why the _fuck_ should I-"

"Stop making a scene," Anton snarled. They had turned the corner from the square and she couldn't see them anymore.

"Let me go, asshole-"

He dragged her down another street while Armin tagged along anxiously. Eren would not, could not stop resisting. How _dare_ that bitch -what the hell was Mikio _thinking_ -what the flying fuck-

The street was deserted enough for Anton to stop abruptly, slam his palm into Eren's abdomen, and in a swift move, flip her onto her back. Armin let out a small sound of distress but didn't say a word.

"What the fuck, Leonhardt?!" Eren screeched.

"Shut the hell up," Anton snapped, "and listen to me. You need to grow the fuck up, Jaeger, and let people be. Not sure if you know this yet, but everyone's life doesn't revolve around you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why do you think neither of your friends told you where they were going?"

Eren, suddenly speechless, had no answer. Armin murmured, "Anton, you don't-"

"Shut up." He snapped. "Both of you. You're not middle-schoolers anymore. Armin can date whoever she wants and go out whenever she wants without informing you. And, newsflash, so can Mikio."

Angry tears filled Eren's eyes. "But -but…"

"Yes, she's your sworn enemy, we get it, we've seen enough of your catfights." Anton pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sick and tired of your behaviour and Armin and Ackerman having to tiptoe around you to appease you all the living day. If Mikio wants to cast his lot with Kirschtein, that's his business. Stop trying to make everything about you and for fuck's sake, stop stressing Armin out."

"Anton," Armin said loudly. "That's enough."

"No, it's not." Anton snapped. "We'd spent less than twenty minutes together before you had a near panic attack and I had to intervene and save this idiot before she did something stupid." He glanced at Eren, his expression becoming increasingly blurry as her eyes filled up with more tears. "Now Armin may be used to indulging your every whim but _I_ will have none of it." He turned back to Armin and clasped her hand. "Do you understand? I only did this because you seemed so upset, but seriously Armin, I won't do this again. Prioritise yourself over this overgrown baby for a change and then come to me. I'll wait."

Without another word or backward glance, Anton strode away, ignoring Armin's calls.

As soon as his back turned the corner, Armin slumped onto the pavement and burst into tears.

Eren was still numb with shock. She still could not believe the day had derailed so quickly. Armin's loud sobs were causing her gut to twist so much she felt like a mass of knots and burning lumps. Anton's words still echoed in her head, every single statement driving a figurative stake into her brain.

Basically, she felt like shit.

Eventually, she scrambled to her feet and approached Armin cautiously. "Hey-"

"No."

She blinked rapidly at her. "What?"

"Just… no." Armin hiccuped. "Just leave me alone, Eren."

"I'm not gonna-"

"I said, _leave_!" Armin's voice was loud and cold, a screech that made Eren physically wince, while a steel rod seemed to drive through her skull.

Trying hard not to cry, but failing, she turned and ran away.

* * *

She ran all the way back to camp, heart thudding, eyes burning, head throbbing. She went straight to the gym. She couldn't think, couldn't make sense of her own thoughts. Random words and phrases kept popping into her awareness but they never made sense together. She put on her boxing gloves and let herself loose on one of the boxing bags.

" _Overgrown baby."_

Pow.

" _Grow the fuck up."_

Pow, pow.

" _Leave!"_

Pow, punch, pow.

 _Armin's loud sobs._

Pow, punch, jab, punch.

 _Jean leaning towards-_

SLAM. The bag flew off its hook and landed pathetically on its side. Eren stared at it, equal parts tired and angry and stunned.

She was still angry. _Still._

She worked on a new bag until her muscles were screaming with protest. Then, focusing unduly on her immediate task, she replaced the bags, took off her gloves, and headed back to the barracks.

As expected, they were empty -everyone was at dinner. Snatching up her towel, she went to shower for the second time that day.

Slowly, the rage and the denial were simmering down enough for her to actually think about what had happened and how she felt about it. What astonished her most was how she felt about Mikio and Jean. She had perhaps irreparably damaged Armin's relationship with Anton. She had definitely damaged her own friendship with Armin, all because of her undiluted fury. Even now, she unconsciously curled her hands into fists as she thought about it.

 _Why_? She asked herself. _Why does it make you so angry?_

Well, yes, she hated Kirschtein's guts but that girl was hardly her biggest nemesis. Eren had known for a long time who her worst enemies were. Her every life choice since her mother's death had been driven by a single purpose. Jean Kirschtein was a mere annoying blip in her life, so why the anger?

Perhaps it was the fact that _Mikio_ had shown romantic interest in someone. Yes, it _was_ bizarre and very unlike him. Mikio was almost as single-minded as her and that he had actually even considered dating someone was very uncharacteristic of him.

Yes, the very idea of Mikio _dating_ was laughable. She'd known Mikio for years and could never imagine him with anyone. Except, of course, with-

Her hands fell limp in the midst of undressing.

 _What._

 _Wait, what._

 _WHAT._

Her heart was thudding so loudly she couldn't hear anything else.

 _Mikio._

Once more, she could see in her mind's eye, the look on Mikio's face when he emerged into the sunlight from the store. She could see the small smile on his lips, she could see his dark eyes sparkle, even from the distance. She could see how relaxed he seemed around Jean, she saw how he didn't move away when she leaned towards him.

 _Mikio._

Mikio, with his annoying but soft voice and his grey eyes and his kindness. Mikio, with his inhuman strength and his graceful attack moves. Mikio, smiling for her, crying for her, fighting for her, wearing her red scarf like it was his lifeline.

Mikio, content and smiling with Jean.

The thought of his smile sent a jolt through her, followed by a deep, dull ache in her heart and an inexplicable stirring in the bottom of her gut. Goddammit, how long had she felt this way? Her mind told her _forever_ , but she couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that she had been so blind to her own desire, couldn't believe that she had taken it for granted. But there was no ignoring it now.

She made her way to the far end of the stalls, suddenly driven by a feeling she didn't know she had. As they were in the military, frivolity of any sort was discouraged. Eren was perfectly fine with this, she had been surviving on the bare minimum for years before enlisting. However, she did sometimes appreciate some concessions that the military made, like the mirror in the bathroom, the only one for their entire section. Eren normally used it to see if her face was clean or if she had something stuck in her teeth.

Today, she actually _looked_ at herself.

She still saw Mikio and Jean together, how good-looking and well-matched they seemed to appear. Jean _was_ attractive, Eren was fair enough to admit that. She could see how a guy could fall for her looks. Was that why Mikio was with her?

When Eren looked at herself in the mirror, all she saw was a warped version of her mother. They had looked more alike when she was younger, but now, years of hardship and physical training had turned Eren into a mass of scars and defined muscles, with none of her mother's soft curves. Her shoulders and her posture were mannish and her chest was underdeveloped. She was unevenly sunburnt, sweaty and smelly.

She reached up and undid her untidy bun. Her messily chopped hair bunched unattractively around her face and ended just below her chin. When she was younger, her mother had tried hard to keep her hair long and well-cared for. Even now, when she didn't need to with her shorter hair, Eren still wore her hair in a half updo, just like her mother used to do her hair all those years ago.

It was all that mattered anymore to her. She had no vanity and even the little things about her appearance, like her hairstyle, were more a reflection of her tragic experiences and her shitty life than a desire to be beautiful.

But now, with Mikio and Jean's tryst fresh in her mind, Eren couldn't help but be critical, couldn't help but wish she was better looking than the girl that stared back at her from the mirror. Just so Mikio would look at her the way he had looked at Jean.

 _Mikio_.

Her heart was still pounding hard. With a sudden cry, she slammed her fist into the mirror. Thin spidery cracks spread from the point of contact, warping her reflection more until she looked like the monster she felt she was.

 _Mikio_.

This was her fault. This was all because of her stupid, oblivious, naïve, _stupid_ self. She only had herself to blame for Mikio's betrayal, she was the reason Armin had been sobbing so wretchedly in the street. She had taken what she had for granted and now she had ruined the two most important things in her life, driven away the only two people who had ever mattered.

Tearing her gaze away from the mirror, she trudged back to her shower stall. Without bothering to undress completely, she stood under the streaming water, feeling nothing but the cold water's incessant pricks on her skin and a yawning, heavy emptiness in her chest.

"Mikio," she whispered.

Then and only then, she broke down into tears.

* * *

 **A/N: Yup, it was definitely _interesting_ to write Eren so contemplative. Really took me a while to get that down, honestly.**

 **Lowkey Reibert, I guess. And majorly high-key Yumikuri! I know I haven't genderbent them all but come on, I couldn't _not_ have my fave lesbian couple stay lesbian!**

 **I don't think there's much else to explain in this chapter. Except for whatever the hell was going on with Mikio and Jean, but that's for next time.**

 **One more chapter to go! Let me know what you think of this one!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Aand we have the final part of this little AU venture of mine, a nice, long one to tie up all the loose ends. It was incredibly fun writing it!**

 **Update: There was some issue with this chapter, which would not open on the app, despite the story settings clearly stating the third chapter was up. So I'm deleting and reposting this chapter. I've never had this happen to me before, so hopefully this is a one-off issue!**

 **Hope you guys like it!**

* * *

 ** _Mikio_**

That Monday began like every other Monday. He woke up, freshened up, hit the gym, returned to the barracks and had a quick shower. Then he made his way to the mess hall, where he knew two girls would be waiting for him, one alert and the other grumpy, the only two remnants of his family.

This Monday, however, stopped being like other Mondays as soon as he entered the mess hall. Try as he might, Mikio could not find the familiar faces of Eren and Armin.

He hovered by the doorway, uncertain and a little anxious. It wasn't like either of them to skip breakfast, or even sleep in for so long. Armin was decidedly not a morning person but Eren always managed to drag her where she needed to be on time.

"Looking a little lost there, Ackerman," Reiner Braun's familiar drawl cut through his worried thoughts.

"Have you seen Eren or Armin?" He asked him, ignoring the friendly jibe.

"Hey man, I just got here. If you haven't seen them here, chances are they aren't here."

"I meant outside."

"Nah. Not many people outside. Too gloomy today."

Bertholdt Hoover, who tailed Reiner like his shadow, spoke up for once. "Do you want to sit with us?"

Mikio hesitated. "No," he said finally. "I'll go look for them." Without waiting for a response, he strode out of the mess hall.

Reiner had been right: the sky was heavily overcast and he heard a few people complaining about the weather as he walked past them. None of these people were the ones he was looking for.

Where _were_ they? The minutes ticked by, and yet Mikio didn't catch a glimpse of either of them. His worry mounted with every passing second.

He looked in the training grounds, the library, the stables; he even snuck into the girls' barracks for good measure, only to find all these places devoid of people.

He circled back to the mess hall, wondering and hoping that they had just missed each other, and that the girls were probably wolfing down their food. Until he actually saw them, though, this thought barely assuaged him.

Breakfast hour was almost over when he approached the mess hall -people were already leaving to line up for roll call. He was soon accosted by one of these people.

"Oh, h-hey, Mikio!"

Jean Kirschtein came up to him, her cheeks flushed and her ponytail bouncing with excitement. He simply nodded at her greeting.

"So, um," she twisted one of her bangs nervously, "I had a good time yesterday-"

"Have you seen Eren?"

Jean stopped chattering abruptly. "What?"

"Have you seen Eren this morning? Or Armin?" Mikio struggled to keep his voice calm as usual but he suspected his anxiety showed plain on his face.

Jean's brows slanted downward in a delicate frown. "No."

"They weren't at breakfast?"

"Not that I noticed." Her voice was decidedly cold now. "Why?"

"I can't find them anywhere."

Jean's look softened and Mikio realised he had sounded really anxious.

"They'll be around. Um, don't worry Mikio."

"Did you see them in the barracks this morning?"

"Actually, no."

 _He knew it._ Mikio now felt terrible that he hadn't sought them out the previous evening when they hadn't shown up to dinner. He had assumed Eren was training, as she often did, and Armin was with…

"Hey, Marcine!" Jean beckoned her best friend over. "Did you see Jeager or Armin anywhere?"

Marcine joined them but had a weirdly uncomfortable look on her face. "Not this morning, no," she said quietly.

Something about the way she said it disconcerted him. "When _did_ you last see them?"

Marcine ran her fingers through her hair nervously. "Um. I last saw Eren with Armin and Anton in town yesterday…"

Eren was in town? Why hadn't she told him? Where was she now? Mikio glanced away, searching through the throngs of recruits that were now heading to the training grounds for roll call. Almost immediately, he caught a glimpse of the person he was sure would have answers for him. Cold blue eyes met his own stony grey gaze.

 _Leonhardt._

"Guys, come on. You don't want to be late!" Sasha appeared out of nowhere and hooked her arm around his elbow. Her clashes with Instructor Shadis were legendary and her scared brown eyes attested to that fact. Unwillingly, Mikio let her drag him and the other two girls to the training grounds. He wanted to talk to Anton right away, but he knew Sasha was right.

As he stood in line with the three girls, Mikio craned his neck, trying to catch Leonhardt's eye again so he'd know that he had business with him. Before he could, he finally found a welcome thatch of brown hair in the back of the crowd.

 _Eren._

He stared at her, all but screaming for her attention, willing her to look at him. But she looked tired and grumpy and had her gaze fixed on the ground.

Mikio finally looked away when Shadis stepped forward. Something was wrong, he could _feel_ it, but it would have to wait. And where was Armin?

As roll call began, for the first time in more than two years since they had enlisted, Mikio actually felt nervous. He worried for Armin, because missing roll call was something no one in their right minds would do.

"Ackerman, Mikio."

"Sir!"

Where _was_ she?

"Aleck, Zara."

She would get in so much trouble. And Armin, who was easily the most sensitive of the three of them, would suffer more than most.

"Anderson, Bob."

Mikio was seriously considering speaking up and reporting her sick. He might get in trouble for the interruption, but at least Armin would be saved a whole lot of unnecessary pain. Mikio wished he could see Eren's face at that moment, see what she was thinking, but he couldn't turn around when they were all in attention.

"Arlert, Armin."

It was now or never-

"Sir!"

Clear as a bell, Armin's voice sounded from the very end of the lines. Mikio risked glancing back, and, sure enough, there stood Armin, looking like she hadn't slept a wink. She did catch his stare and stared right back with a dead, defiant gaze.

Something was seriously wrong.

Enduring roll call took every ounce of his patience. He couldn't be sure, but Eren's voice had sounded rough, like she had screamed herself hoarse.

He wanted to move immediately to the back of the lines when it was done, but Shadis had other plans. Before being dismissed, the cadets were all sorted into groups, each member of which would participate in another day of close combat.

Mikio was once more shunted into another team while Eren and Armin made it into the same one. He watched them anxiously as he waited for his turn. Eren was sulking at the back of the crowd and Armin sat right in the middle of a gaggle of cheerful cadets, stony-faced and unmoving. Neither of them were even trying to look for the other.

So they'd fought. Badly. But why were they not talking to _him_?

Reiner went from his team first and won, unsurprisingly. Then it was Marcine's turn and she won, too, though by a narrow margin. Then Sasha from the other team won after a scrappy battle with Ymir.

Then it was his turn.

Shadis referred to his notes before announcing his opponent.

"Mikio Ackerman against Ariadne Jaeger."

He heard the whispers, he saw the exchanged glances from the corner of his eye. But his focus was on Eren, who had frozen stiff and was finally looking at him, but with shock -and was that _fear_ in her eyes?

Mikio cast a glance at Shadis, who was looking at him as if daring him to disobey.

Mikio knew better, though, so he stepped forward into the sparring ring without protest. Eren slouched in after him, refusing to meet his gaze again.

"Hello, Eren," Mikio said quietly, running a glance on every inch of her face. She looked exhausted; her brilliant eyes had dimmed and had dark rings around them, and her cheeks seemed gaunt. She had even forgotten to tie up her usual half knot and her brown hair framed her face in a messy halo.

Eren simply nodded, still looking only at the ground.

Mikio waited for her to say something, _anything_. Back in the day, Eren had tried to make Mikio teach her sparring. It had gone horribly; Mikio would always rein in his strength, because he knew he would hurt Eren with his full power, and Eren would always get offended by his gesture, and would snarl at him, every time, _no holding back_!

Finally, one day, Mikio gave in and fought without holding back. Eren had been so injured, neither of them suggested sparring practice ever again. They had been twelve years old. He hadn't fought her since then.

Until now.

He waited in vain for her to say something. 'No holding back' was her anthem and yet she remained mute.

 _Why?_

"Begin!"

Eren brought up her fists to her face, just like Anton, and lunged forward. Mikio dodged the punch easily, and tried to catch her with an upward jab. Eren managed to lean away and spin aside and Mikio's fist drove through her loose hair.

Good. She was getting better.

Next Eren tried a high kick, again one of Anton's moves, but Mikio blocked it with his forearm and grabbed her ankle. He started to lift her to throw her, but she caught onto his other hand, flexed herself across his shoulder, twisted her leg from his grasp and backflipped off him.

That… that was _very_ good. Mikio let himself smile at her and mutter "Nice."

And Eren froze. He didn't realise it soon enough, and he spun into a kick and caught her straight in the gut. She flew back and landed hard on the ground.

"Eren!" He couldn't hold back his cry, and rushed to her.

"I'm _fine_!" Eren spat, her first words to him all day. Mikio sighed internally, _nothing new about that._ She still refused to look at him or even take his hand.

Eren rushed immediately into her next move and tried to start again with a punch. This time, instead of dodging, Mikio caught her fist in his hand and spun around to stand barely a hair's breadth behind her, her clenched fist twisted behind her back, his other arm curling around her neck.

And it happened again. Eren froze completely, he could _feel_ her stiffen up from head to toe.

What was wrong with her? Eren never gave up, never spaced out in the midst of battle. Eren _never_ held back. It just wasn't like her.

"Eren," he whispered into her ear, keenly aware of the eyes of everyone around the ring on them. "What's wrong?"

Eren finally moved: she whipped back her free elbow in a sharp jab to the stomach, and Mikio let her go. When Eren stumbled away and faced him again, her face was red and she was breathing heavily.

Was she ill?

Then she did something he had never seen her do before. She turned to Shadis and called out, "I forfeit."

 _What?_

Somewhere in the crowd he heard Connie go "The fuck?!" Even Shadis raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry?"

"I forfeit the match." Eren said, her voice definitely harsh as though she had a cold. "I don't feel well enough to fight."

Normally Shadis drove his cadets to train come rain or shine, come plague or hellfire. But he could not have had any complaints with Eren, who was sometimes more driven than the instructor himself. And so, when normally Shadis would have laughed the excuse off from any other cadet, he simply nodded.

"You get the day off." He turned away. "Silence! None of you have been excused from your duty, so shut it!" The loud murmurs that had broken out stopped abruptly.

"Ackerman."

Mikio had his gaze fixed on Eren's retreating back. She hadn't stopped to speak to anyone and was now shuffling back towards the barracks.

 _What the hell was going on?_

"Ackerman!" Shadis' loud bark brought him crashing back to the present and Mikio turned back to the instructor reluctantly.

"You'll face off Krista Lenz."

* * *

It didn't take long to defeat tiny Krista, despite a vicious edge to her moves. Unfortunately, Anton went immediately after him, so he didn't get a chance to talk to him. Armin still sat silently in her circle of noise, and Mikio decided to wait for her to finish before approaching her.

By the time her turn came, a lot of people had already left, including Anton. Mikio filed away this fact in his mind and watched her scrape a narrow win against Anderson, Bob. When she started back towards the barracks, Mikio leaped to his feet and hurried after her.

"Armin."

Nothing.

"Armin!" He nearly shouted.

She stopped, but didn't turn around. He caught up to her swiftly.

"Hey."

She simply nodded and would not look at him.

"Armin, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Her voice was raspy, too, like Eren's. Perhaps they had been screaming at each other.

He hid his uneasiness behind concern. "You really expect me to believe that?"

"Nothing's wrong, Mikio."

"I beg to differ."

She had started to walk again and Mikio kept pace with her easily.

"Did you and Eren fight?" He asked after a few moments.

"What do you think?"

It wasn't rhetorical, so he answered her. "I think you did."

"If you're so sure, why are you asking me?" Armin's voice was filled with venom. He rarely saw her like this, and it hurt that her venom was directed at him this time.

"Because _we_ haven't fought and you still won't talk to me." He told her, not bothering to hide his feelings. She stopped again abruptly, and Mikio asked her softly, "What did I do wrong, Armin? What must I do to make it up to you?"

Armin's shoulders trembled. Her eyes were still fixed on the ground, but she said, in a small voice, "You don't have to do anything. It's not your fault."

"Then what-"

"I just don't want to talk about it." Armin finally met his gaze again and his heart jolted when he saw the unshed tears in her eyes. This forlorn look was straight from their time in Shiganshina, when Mikio had spent many days beating up bullies that made her life miserable.

Cautiously, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then we won't talk about it. Until you're ready."

Armin laughed shakily. "How are you so… so _simple_ , Mikio?"

"Um…"

Armin took a deep breath. "You are too good to me. It's not fair to you if we don't talk about it."

Mikio frowned. Was the fight something to do with him?

"Whatever you think is best, Armin."

To his surprise and horror, Armin began to cry.

"Hey, hey," he said gently and gathered her into his arms. She was shaking with suppressed sobs and held onto him tightly. "It's stupid," she mumbled against his chest and Mikio had to strain to understand her. "It's so _stupid_!"

"I'm sure it isn't."

"No, but it _is_!" She let loose a sob, and before he could say anything more, stiffened up suddenly.

"Armin?" He muttered anxiously and followed her frozen stare past his shoulder. There, in the distant shadows of the stables, stood a lone figure, pale blond hair glinting in the dim sunlight and a glowing orange prick of light at his fingertips. Mikio's blood ran cold with rage.

"Tell me everything," he said quietly.

Slowly, hesitantly, she told him, sending an occasional glance at the person that stood smoking insolently in broad daylight.

By the time she finished talking, Mikio had a plan.

"Okay. First things first, you need to eat." He stalled her argument with an upraised palm. "Go. Eat. After you're done, we'll figure something out." When Armin still looked uncertain, he said solemnly, "We'll fix this. I promise."

She scrutinized him with her famous stare, and he hoped she believed him. Finally, with a half-hearted shrug, she nodded. "Aren't you coming?"

"I need to change," he lied again, indicating his muddied shirt.

She seemed to buy that too and headed towards the mess hall abruptly .

He waited until she was far enough away before he turned heel and stalked over to the stables. The smoker still stood there, and stubbed his cigarette out when Mikio got close enough.

"What do you want, Acker- Oof!" Anton Leonhardt didn't even get to finish his sentence before Mikio grabbed his collar and slammed him against the stable wall.

" _You_ are a menace," Mikio snarled, pressing his fists against Anton's white throat.

Anton struggled for a couple seconds, but then, brought up his knee to kick Mikio in the gut. Mikio twisted aside easily, pulled Anton with him, and hurled him away forcefully. Anton rolled as he hit the ground and leaped into a crouch faster than he expected. He looked seriously pissed, and charged at Mikio with exceptional speed. Mikio managed to avoid him, but did not expect the kick in the back. He crashed into the stable walls, then instinctively ducked as he twisted around: Anton's foot cracked the wall where Mikio's head had been a second before.

He brought up his fist as he shot up and Anton leaned away, but not soon enough; he let out an involuntary grunt as Mikio's fist glanced his cheek. There was now a bright smudge of red on Anton's white face.

He brought up his fists again for another round, and Mikio's heart stuttered with anger. He saw Eren in that stance, Eren, who had learnt so much from Anton, who tried so much to be like him, and respected him enough to keep taking his beatings at practice everyday. And there was Anton, flippant Anton, who had played fast and loose with the emotions of the two people dearest to his heart.

The bastard was going to _pay_.

Mikio took a step forward, but before either of them could make a move, a shrill voice interrupted them - " _Stop_!"

Both of them froze and saw Armin stomp towards them, bristling with fury.

"Are. You. _Mental_?" She screeched at Mikio with enough force to make him wince. " _This_ was your stupid plan?"

"I had to make him hurt," Mikio said quietly.

"Yes, that's always the best plan," Anton drawled. "Rush into everything head first without-"

"And _you_." Armin snarled, her blue eyes sparking with so much rage Anton actually took a small step back. "You have no fucking right to say anything. _Anything_."

Anton's face twisted into a frown. "What?"

"You heard me! Both of you, you stupid, idiotic _boys_!"

"Armin-"

"I am. _Talking_. So listen the fuck up, both of you! Mikio, Anton had a point, you're not my fucking bodyguard, nor are you Eren's. Stop trying to be one. And Anton, I didn't say it before, but I love you, okay?" Her voice cracked and so did Anton's scowl. "I fucking _love_ you, but guess what, asshole. This idiot right here?" She gestured furiously at Mikio. "I love him, too. This guy is my _family._ And so is Eren. They're all I have. You had a point but don't you dare, don't you fucking _dare_ presume to 'scold' us out of loving each other. We have our issues and we'll deal with them. But if you think I'll care any less for either of them just because you're in my life now, let me explain a thing to you. They are a part of _me_ , and if you want to deal with me, you'll have to deal with my love for them, however that manifests. If that bothers you then you should reevaluate your choices and move on. Stop waiting for me to stop caring about these guys or you'll keep waiting forever."

The silence that followed seemed to ring in their ears. Anton looked stunned -more shocked than Mikio had ever seen him look in the nearly three years he had known him.

Mikio reacted first. "Armin-"

"Have you seen Eren?" She barked suddenly.

Anton, who still seemed speechless, simply pointed at the barracks.

"Let's go," Armin growled, grabbed Mikio's arm and walked away. Mikio didn't dare say another word, but he did glance back one more time. Anton still stood frozen in place, staring after them.

Mikio tried not to, but couldn't help it and smirked.

"Stop it, Mick." Armin snapped, without turning around.

"What-"

"I'm pissed at you too, dumbass. I thought you knew better."

"I was going to talk to him _eventually_."

"I'm sure," she drawled. "After you beat him up so he couldn't walk away from you, huh?"

"That was my plan," Mikio admitted, "although I like what you did better."

"Shut up." He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Seriously, though. Do you really love him?"

Armin stopped walking and finally let go of his arm.

"Would you hate me if I said yes?" She asked him quietly.

 _What the hell?_ "Of course not!" He took her hand in his. "Hey. I'm just concerned he doesn't deserve your love, that's all. But you're smart, Armin. You chose him for a reason and I trust you."

"I'm human. I can make mistakes."

"If it's a mistake then you'll learn from it and move on. However this works out, I won't hate you either way." And then, because she looked on the verge of tears again, he deadpanned, "Of course, if it goes bad I'll have to keep as many friends close to me as possible. For alibis and, you know, worst-case scenario, prison visits."

Armin chuckled. "You're an idiot, Mick."

"I know." Then Mikio frowned. "Promise me one thing, though."

"What is it?"

"You guys really need to stop smoking."

Armin sighed. "I know, I know, I-" She paused so abruptly Mikio whipped around to see why.

Eren stood as still as a statue on the steps of the girls' barracks, watching them stoically. She seemed better than before, her hair appeared freshly washed and still hung unbound around her face.

"Eren," Armin whispered. A sudden lump seemed to have appeared in Mikio's throat and he couldn't utter a sound.

Then Eren turned tail and ran, straight into what he knew were the girls' changing rooms. Armin followed without hesitation, but Mikio, of course, could not. Eren had run there on purpose.

He watched Armin slip into the building morosely. He hung around for a few minutes, until he discovered that he was attracting quite a few curious glances. He suddenly realised how odd he must look, staring like that at the girls' changing rooms.

Frustrated, he walked away.

* * *

The wind turned colder as he flexed the reins and his horse switched paths. It was only late afternoon, but the sky was so overcast that visibility had gone terribly down. Mikio didn't mind, though. He liked taking horse rides to clear his head; he had been doing this more often over the past couple of months.

He was glad, genuinely glad that Armin and Anton had aired out their concerns with each other. He was sure that they would be back together soon. As much as he hated Leonhardt's guts, he made Armin happy and that was all that mattered.

Hopefully, by this time, Eren and Armin had made up, too. Then the matter could be considered closed and they could all move on.

Except.

Eren still ran from him. Still avoided him. Mikio was acutely aware that the whole mess had happened because he had accompanied Jean to the music store. That fact still remained unaddressed and unresolved like a tangible brick wall between him and Eren.

He wanted to address it, he badly wanted to look into her beautiful eyes and tell her that she had got it all wrong, that it was a simple misunderstanding, if she would just let him explain… But she wouldn't even _look_ at him. It was like his whole world had turned grey.

Thunder resounded in the sky ominously. Mikio ignored it. He was quite far from training headquarters and was now deep in the empty lands that surrounded the camp. These were ideal places to perform any number of military tactics or weapons testings and so there was no one living in these lands for miles and miles around.

But Mikio was not worried. He would find some abandoned outpost or the other for shelter, remnants of the days when the military had much larger numbers than the present pitiable amount.

So he urged his horse ahead and kept at it, even when the first fat raindrops began to fall. In less than a minute, though, the rain came down in full force and with such strength that everything was cloaked by a sheet of steel grey.

He had to find shelter.

Instinctively, he rode deeper into the woods. Military setups, unlike civilian ones, were usually present in secure, shielded places. The thicker the trees, the better.

Soon, he found what he was looking for -a cement block of a hut, covered in vines and stained with time. Luckily, he noticed a smaller structure next to it that could only be a stable.

"They you go, boy," he leaned forward and muttered, stroking the horse's mane. "A nice, dry place for you." His horse whinnied lightly. He dismounted and led his horse forward, even as the rain seemed to get louder. This storm would take time to pass.

When he reached the small stable though, he was surprised -another horse already stood there. His first thought was of vagrants or brigands, but then he saw the horse was fitted with standard military gear. A comrade was using the shelter.

He did what he could to make his horse comfortable and ran through the rain -the drops were now hitting him like bullets and he hoped fervently that there was something to make a fire with inside.

When he entered the one-roomed hut, there was a crash and a scraping sound. Mikio blinked, his jaw dropped.

Of course, of _course_ it was Eren.

She stared at him like a cornered deer, her green eyes wide and glittering with the same fear he had seen when they had sparred together.

"Eren," was all he could say as he stared at her.

She glanced away and nodded. Again with the not looking.

"What are you doing here?"

"I needed to think."

It felt wrong somehow. Her voice was too soft, her stance on the defensive instead of the usual offensive. Mikio knew this was a priceless opportunity, though. Eren had no choice but to talk to him, stranded as they were in the storm.

"Is there anything to burn?" Mikio asked her, starting the ball rolling.

She shrugged, then pointed at a dark, stained table in the corner next to the window.

"That's the only object in this room. But it's sturdy and damp, so it's useless," she muttered.

"And no fuel to light anything."

"Nope."

"Damn."

Eren shrugged again and leaned against the wall, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Mikio sighed and leaned against the wall opposite her, too.

"Did you talk to Armin?" He asked, unable to hold it in. She nodded.

"And?"

Eren seemed to relax a little. "We're good."

"That's… good."

"Mm."

Silence again. Mikio knew he wanted to talk to her, that he wanted to sort things out. But why was it suddenly so difficult for him to talk?

After another wordless minute, he spoke up.

"Eren-"

"Mikio-"

They stopped, both embarrassed.

"You go first," Mikio said hurriedly.

Eren took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Eren-"

"Let me finish! Please," she was still looking at the floor and not him, "I -I have imposed my own wishes and feelings over yours. I think I have ignored you and taken you for granted for a long time now, and I'm sorry."

"You have done none of those things."

"Oh, please!" Finally, _finally_ she looked at him, her eyes sparkling with familiar rage. "Stop making excuses for me and stop pretending like I'm this -this perfect person, who…"

"Eren," he said quietly. "You have never made me feel like I was taken for granted. You do acknowledge my feelings. You did yesterday at breakfast."

"Yesterday-" She paused. He waited patiently and she continued, "Why didn't you tell me yesterday that you were going out?"

"That -that was Jean's idea."

"Of course."

"Eren, I want to tell you about yesterday-"

"You know what, I'd rather not know." She cut in.

"But I just want to-"

"I really, really don't care about the specifics. Please. Spare me the details, I don't want to know."

"But you have to understand-"

"Mikio," she said loudly, standing up straight. "I know I've been this annoying person who picked your friends for you all these years but I'm not going to do that anymore. You-" Her voice cracked and Mikio stared at her, stunned. Was she… _crying_?

"You can be with whoever you like," she said, her voice trembling. "I have no right to interfere."

"But-"

"Just -you have my blessing, okay? Just stop talking about it."

"Eren, you _have_ to-"

"Fuck." She swore. "I can't. I can't do this." Tears were dripping down her damp cheeks. And before he realised it, before he could stop her, she slipped out of the door and ran.

"Eren!"

He chased after her and she didn't get far; she stopped a few metres from the hut when she heard his footsteps. Mikio absently noted that the rain was still heavy but at least it didn't feel like bullets.

"Eren, please…"

"You like her," Eren spat, her voice thick. "You like Jean and that's okay, really -just, what are you doing here? What the _hell_ are you doing here, Mikio?"

Mikio stared at her. No way. No _fucking_ way. His heart seemed to drop out of his chest and his stomach felt light and fluttery.

She didn't -did she? Is that why…

"Eren…" He took a step closer.

"Don't deny it!" It was raining too hard to tell for sure, but it seemed like she was crying harder now. "You like her, don't you? Just admit it!"

"I do like her, but…"

"There you have it!" She cried, throwing up her hands. "Wasn't so hard to admit, was it?"

She had no idea. She had no clue exactly how hard he had struggled for _months_ now, exactly how hard it was to really admit the truth. _She didn't know_.

Eren just stood motionless in the rain, crying quietly. Her dark hair was plastered on her cheeks in a very becoming way and Mikio know that he had to, he _had_ to tell her, then and there. He had to make her understand. She had it all _wrong_.

He did the only thing he could, the only thing he _wanted_ to do. He took two steps forward, grasped her chin, and before she could see it coming, caught her lips in his.

The rain kept pouring but Mikio felt nothing, heard nothing. The world had gone silent around him and it was only him and her and her soft, chapped lips on his.

They broke apart mere seconds later but it felt much longer. Eren was staring at him, her mouth open and her muscles frozen with shock.

"I love you," he told her quietly. "I _like_ Jean. She seems nice. She wanted to buy a present for Marcine's birthday so she asked me to help her pick sheet music, since I am the only other musician she knows -other than you. Do you understand now? I like her. And I love you."

Eren still had her mouth open, her green eyes were still locked onto his in utter shock.

"I love you," he said again. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you to help you understand this, but I will keep saying it until you do, Eren. I love you."

A long, silent moment passed. Then Eren clamped her mouth shut and lunged at him, crashing her lips onto his with a fervour that could only be hers. Only Eren, only _she_ could set him on fire when the sky poured itself onto him. She was so _fucking_ intoxicating.

Her arms twined around his neck, her tongue twisted into his mouth. It was so new but felt so, _so_ right. Every groove of her body seemed to fit perfectly into his. Every single action happened automatically, like this was always where they were headed, like this was something so _natural_ that he didn't even have to think about it. So when Mikio caught hold of her taut thighs and wrapped them around his waist, and carried her right back into the abandoned hut, she didn't utter a sound of protest or surprise.

He headed straight for the damp, sturdy table and deposited her there, breaking away from her mouth only to run his lips over her jaw and to nip at her ear and her neck, their breaths loud and their moans misting in the cold.

It was only when Eren peeled his shirt right off his shoulder that he paused, just in case. "Hey," he murmured, breaking away. "Are you sure?"

Eren stared at him for a long, beautiful moment, her eyes lit with a fire so different than usual that he felt like it was burning him, too. Then she reached up and twisted her fingers into his hair and with her other hand, placed his hand on her chest. He could feel her heartbeat so strongly he could almost hear it.

"No holding back," she whispered and, digging her fingers into his scalp, pulled him into another deep kiss.

They were both equally rough and clumsy and scarred, but their slick bodies moved together in a rhythm that both of them knew instinctively, with an excited undercurrent of a heartbeat that both of them shared. Nothing, absolutely _nothing_ had felt so _right_ to Mikio all his life.

It was much later, when they were lying on a damp cloak, limbs entangled and noses touching, that Eren placed a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes.

Mikio had always known that Eren's most frequent emotion was anger. Her eyes, already a stunning deep green, would always sparkle with flashes of miniature lightning, clear signs of her barely hidden rage. But there were certain times, times of stress, of pain, of heartache and despair and, yes, anger. At times like these, her eyes didn't glimmer with rage. They seemed to darken with resolve, a solemnity and purpose that seemed to come straight from her heart.

At times like these, her eyes often spoke a promise, almost always a vow of retribution.

Eren looked at Mikio now with the same dark promise in her eyes.

"I love you, too," she whispered.

The rain outside had stopped and the setting sun's golden rays finally made an appearance, bringing warmth and colour with them. Eren lay, beautiful and content in his arms, her strong heart thudding right next to his.

And all was right with the world again.

* * *

 **A/N: I don't know about you guys, but 'getting caught in inclement weather and having to spend hours with just each other in a lonely cabin and then making sweet, sweet love' is a favourite trope of mine. It _is_ a trope, right? Heh.**

 **I haven't written romance in so long it's crazy. I can't believe the stuff I managed to dish out five years ago! I really hope the romance didn't end up too choppy or forced. Eren and Mikio are, at the end of the day, serious people. I just wanted to capture that.**

 **Speaking of serious, I don't know how they managed it in that universe, but I'm sure our lovebirds made sure to be safe. Always use protection, kids!**

 **Armin and Anton for sure made up soon after this. I wanted to show that, too, but I find that this fic ends perfectly where I left it. Um, I guess that's it?**

 **Let me know what you think of this, and thanks for reading!**


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